Kirstie Allsopp reveals all restrictions on her children’s technology use are ‘off’ during lockdown because being online ‘keeps them sane’ – despite once smashing their iPads for exceeding screen time limits
- London-born presenter, 49, says sons want to be online while stuck at home
- Previously revealed she smashed kids’ iPads when they broke screen time rules
- Bought them new ones year later but restricted use to weekends and travelling
- Says tools like House Party and Snapchat have been really helpful in lockdown
Kirstie Allsopp has admitted all the restrictions she puts on her children’s technology use are ‘off’ during lockdown because being online ‘keeps them sane’ – and she wishes she’d given her youngest a phone earlier.
In 2018, the London-born Location, Location, Location presenter, 49, hit the headlines when she revealed she smashed her son’s iPads after they failed to stick to her rules on screen time.
Speaking to Jeremy Vine on his Channel 5 talk show, Kirstie said: ‘I actually banged them on the table leg… There is a game called Fortnite and another called PUBG and I decided… We had made all sorts of rules and all sorts of times when we said you can’t play them and all those rules got broken and in the end I said, “Right that is it, I have to physically [break them]”.’
The following year Kirstie admitted she gave sons Bay Atlas Andersen, 14, and Oscar Hercules Andersen, 12, new tablets, on the proviso they were only allowed to use them at the weekends and when travelling.
Kirstie Allsopp (pictured in July 2019) has admitted all the restrictions she puts on her children’s technology use are ‘off’ during lockdown because being online ‘keeps them sane’
‘For us as a family, it was a line that needed to be drawn – and they now know that they are not to push certain boundaries,’ she said.
Speaking to Prima magazine, Kirstie said ‘all bets are off’ regarding her previous restrictions because her boys ‘want to be online’ while they’re stuck at home.
‘Having tools like House Party and Snapchat have been really helpful for the kids, as it helps to keep them sane,’ she explained.
‘My boys are going through a massive gaming phase at the moment. All bets are off as far as any previous restrictions [I’ve imposed] are concerned. It’s difficult because kids are not in contact with their friends as much, so anything that enables them to have that communication is good.’
In 2018, the London-born Location, Location, Location presenter, 49, hit the headlines when she revealed she smashed her son’s iPads after they failed to stick to her rules on screen time. Pictured with her sons Oscar and Bay
Kirstie added that she held out ‘as long as she could’ against her sons having phones, with her eldest being almost the last in his class to have one.
‘I wish his younger brother had one earlier,’ she told the publication. ‘It’s one of the most difficult things because there are many positives and negatives, and it’s incredibly difficult for parents to navigate.
‘It continues to be an area of dispute and contention. How much time is too much. Children’s screen time is something I think parents lie about.’
Kirstie said her biggest fear about the pandemic is the damage done to young people’s mental health, but her boys are ‘generally coping OK’.
Kirstie said her biggest fear about the pandemic is the damage done to young people’s mental health, but her boys are ‘generally coping OK’ (pictured in November 2014)
As for her, she has learned to not worry so much about her house being spotless at all times and prioritises going for a walk in the sunshine.
‘I’m one of those people who tidies up on the basis that I hate leaving the house messy in case I’m run over by a bus,’ she said.
‘Now if I can see the sun just coming out, I go for my walk. I think it’s just being kind to yourself.’
She has also refused to ‘let herself go’ because it’s ‘not fair’ on her partner Ben Anderson, and insists on getting up and blow-drying her hair every morning.
‘I still wear perfume, get ready, the whole thing. The idea that I might have stayed in bed this morning and worked from there just makes me feel itchy,’ she said.
‘The slobbiest I get is my nightie and a nice dressing gown. I’ll admit that I always have the same night dresses.’